Massachusetts: Sign shapes and colors Practice Test
What the shape and background color of a traffic sign tell you before you can read it.
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Questions are original and based on the official manual "Massachusetts Driver's Manual" (Revised April 2026), Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles.
All 23 questions in this practice test
Take the test above first, then use this list to study. Tap “Show answer” to see the correct answer and explanation.
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What does the color red mean on a traffic sign?
- Direction
- General warning
- Motorist services
- Stop or prohibition
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Correct answer: Stop or prohibition
Red signs mean stop or prohibition.
Source: Massachusetts Driver's Manual (Revised April 2026), page 83 · Open this page in the manual (Manual page 83)
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What does a green traffic sign indicate?
- Direction, showing where you can go
- Motorist services
- Recreational or scenic sites
- Construction or maintenance warning
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Correct answer: Direction, showing where you can go
Green signs show direction and where you can go.
Source: Massachusetts Driver's Manual (Revised April 2026), page 83 · Open this page in the manual (Manual page 83)
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What does a yellow traffic sign indicate?
- Regulation
- Incident management
- General warning
- Electronic toll collection
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Correct answer: General warning
Yellow signs are for general warning.
Source: Massachusetts Driver's Manual (Revised April 2026), page 83 · Open this page in the manual (Manual page 83)
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What do black and white traffic signs indicate?
- General warning
- Motorist services
- Direction
- Regulation
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Correct answer: Regulation
Black and white signs are for regulation.
Source: Massachusetts Driver's Manual (Revised April 2026), page 83 · Open this page in the manual (Manual page 83)
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Besides motorist services such as gas, food, and hotels, what do blue signs indicate?
- An evacuation route
- A school zone
- Incident management
- Electronic toll collection
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Correct answer: An evacuation route
Blue signs show motorist services and evacuation routes.
Source: Massachusetts Driver's Manual (Revised April 2026), page 83 · Open this page in the manual (Manual page 83)
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What does a brown traffic sign indicate?
- A construction or maintenance warning
- A recreational, historic, or scenic site
- A school zone
- A motorist service such as gas or food
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Correct answer: A recreational, historic, or scenic site
Brown signs show recreational, historic, or scenic sites.
Source: Massachusetts Driver's Manual (Revised April 2026), page 83 · Open this page in the manual (Manual page 83)
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What does an orange traffic sign indicate?
- Incident management and tow signs
- School zone or crossing warning
- Construction or maintenance warning
- Electronic toll collection signs
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Correct answer: Construction or maintenance warning
Orange signs warn of construction or maintenance.
Source: Massachusetts Driver's Manual (Revised April 2026), page 83 · Open this page in the manual (Manual page 83)
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Which signs are fluorescent yellow-green?
- School zone, bicycle, pedestrian, and curve warning signs
- Incident management and electronic toll collection signs
- Recreational, historic, and scenic site signs
- Motorist service and evacuation route signs
Show answer
Correct answer: School zone, bicycle, pedestrian, and curve warning signs
Fluorescent yellow-green signs warn of a school zone, bicycles, pedestrians, and curves.
Source: Massachusetts Driver's Manual (Revised April 2026), page 83 · Open this page in the manual (Manual page 83)
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What do fluorescent pink traffic signs indicate?
- School zone
- Construction or maintenance warning
- Incident management
- General warning
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Correct answer: Incident management
Fluorescent pink signs are incident management signs.
Source: Massachusetts Driver's Manual (Revised April 2026), page 83 · Open this page in the manual (Manual page 83)
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What do purple traffic signs indicate?
- Incident management signs
- Motorist services areas
- Evacuation routes
- Electronic toll collection
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Correct answer: Electronic toll collection
Purple signs are electronic toll collection signs.
Source: Massachusetts Driver's Manual (Revised April 2026), page 83 · Open this page in the manual (Manual page 83)
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What shape is a STOP sign?
- Octagon
- Triangle
- Circle
- Diamond
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Correct answer: Octagon
A STOP sign is an octagon.
Source: Massachusetts Driver's Manual (Revised April 2026), page 85 · Open this page in the manual (Manual page 85)
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What shape is a YIELD sign?
- Octagon
- Downward triangle
- Pennant
- Pentagon
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Correct answer: Downward triangle
A YIELD sign is a downward-pointing triangle.
Source: Massachusetts Driver's Manual (Revised April 2026), page 85 · Open this page in the manual (Manual page 85)
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What shape is a warning sign?
- Octagon
- Vertical rectangle
- Shield
- Diamond
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Correct answer: Diamond
A warning sign is a diamond.
Source: Massachusetts Driver's Manual (Revised April 2026), page 85 · Open this page in the manual (Manual page 85)
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What shape is a school zone sign?
- Diamond
- Pennant
- Pentagon
- Circle
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Correct answer: Pentagon
A school zone sign is a pentagon.
Source: Massachusetts Driver's Manual (Revised April 2026), page 85 · Open this page in the manual (Manual page 85)
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What shape is a railroad crossing warning sign?
- Circle
- Diamond
- Octagon
- Pentagon
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Correct answer: Circle
A railroad crossing warning sign is round.
Source: Massachusetts Driver's Manual (Revised April 2026), page 85 · Open this page in the manual (Manual page 85)
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What shape is a no passing zone sign?
- Pentagon
- Pennant
- Diamond
- Octagon
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Correct answer: Pennant
A no passing zone sign is a pennant shape.
Source: Massachusetts Driver's Manual (Revised April 2026), page 85 · Open this page in the manual (Manual page 85)
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What shape is an interstate highway sign?
- Circle
- Pentagon
- Shield
- Octagon
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Correct answer: Shield
An interstate highway sign is a shield.
Source: Massachusetts Driver's Manual (Revised April 2026), page 85 · Open this page in the manual (Manual page 85)
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What shape is a guide or information sign?
- Horizontal rectangle
- Diamond
- Pennant
- Circle
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Correct answer: Horizontal rectangle
A guide or information sign is a horizontal rectangle.
Source: Massachusetts Driver's Manual (Revised April 2026), page 85 · Open this page in the manual (Manual page 85)
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What shape is a regulation sign?
- Diamond
- Vertical rectangle
- Pennant
- Circle
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Correct answer: Vertical rectangle
A regulation sign is a vertical rectangle.
Source: Massachusetts Driver's Manual (Revised April 2026), page 85 · Open this page in the manual (Manual page 85)
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Why does the manual advise you to know signs by their appearance?
- So you can read them in the dark
- So you can avoid reading the words on them
- So you can recognize them only in daylight
- So you can recognize them at a distance
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Correct answer: So you can recognize them at a distance
Know signs by their appearances so you can recognize them at a distance.
Source: Massachusetts Driver's Manual (Revised April 2026), page 85 · Open this page in the manual (Manual page 85)
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What kind of background do regulatory signs have?
- A blue or green background
- A red or white background
- A yellow or orange background
- A brown or purple background
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Correct answer: A red or white background
Regulatory signs have a red or white background and inform drivers of traffic laws or regulations.
Source: Massachusetts Driver's Manual (Revised April 2026), page 86 · Open this page in the manual (Manual page 86)
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What does a red circle with a diagonal slash on a sign mean?
- Something is required
- Something is ahead
- Something is prohibited
- Something is optional
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Correct answer: Something is prohibited
Signs that use a red circle with a diagonal slash mean that something is prohibited.
Source: Massachusetts Driver's Manual (Revised April 2026), page 86 · Open this page in the manual (Manual page 86)
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What colors are warning signs?
- Fluorescent pink and purple
- Red and white with black letters
- Blue, green, and brown with white letters
- Yellow and fluorescent yellow-green
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Correct answer: Yellow and fluorescent yellow-green
Yellow and fluorescent yellow-green warning signs warn you of hazards or changes in conditions ahead.
Source: Massachusetts Driver's Manual (Revised April 2026), page 86 · Open this page in the manual (Manual page 86)